


A Million Ways to Begin

by StygianTongue



Series: Shared Scars [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Freed Anakin Skywalker, Freed Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gen, Hybrids, Respecting Jedi Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StygianTongue/pseuds/StygianTongue
Summary: When Anakin Skywalker first properly laid eyes on Obi-Wan Kenobi, his immediate thought was that Mister Jinn must not be as kind as Anakin had thought. After all, everyone knew Hybrids were slaves.
Series: Shared Scars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920769
Comments: 12
Kudos: 175





	A Million Ways to Begin

When Anakin Skywalker first properly laid eyes on Obi-Wan Kenobi, his immediate thought was that Mister Jinn must not be as kind as Anakin had thought. After all, everyone knew Hybrids were pets—slaves, rare and pretty and exceedingly valuable to the right buyer. However, even if Mister Jinn was a slaver, he at least appeared to be a decent enough one.

He was kind to Anakin, after all, and Obi-Wan was dressed similarly to his owner and appeared well kempt. If Mister Jinn were going to own Anakin, too, well… it wouldn't be what he'd hoped for, but maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as before?

Still, the injustice of it burned in the back of Anakin's throat, and the excited fear of leaving his mother to become a Jedi quickly turned into the horrifying panic of leaving his mother but remaining a slave. Obi-Wan even called Mister Jinn master, and _oh,_ if Anakin wasn't _betrayed_ by that…

When Obi-Wan Kenobi first properly laid eyes on Anakin Skywalker, his immediate thought was that the boy had the brightest, most intrusive Force presence Obi-Wan had ever encountered. The boy's emotions were nearly bowling over Obi-Wan, pounding at his well-trained shielding, begging to get in and share the child's thirst, his pain and fear, his anger-betrayal- _why-oh-why **terrorfuryNOMOM!!!**_ … Obi-Wan took a deep breath and held it for a moment, eyes closing momentarily. Next, he exhaled—his eyes opened determinedly, and he squatted down in front of the boy.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan whispered.

"I thought I was free?!" Anakin demanded.

An old pain throbbed within Obi-Wan's soul, a knowing compassion settling within him as pieces clicked into place. His lips parted slowly, tongue darting out to wet his lips. He asked, "My… Qui-Gon freed you, then?" That ageless hurt stung coldly under his skin when the boy, still so terrified and full of righteous fury and sharp betrayal, nodded. Tears of injustice and fear glistened in the youngling's eyes.

"He said he had! He lied though!" Anakin exclaimed roughly. An arm, much too thin, came up to wipe at his eyes before his tears could fall. "He said I would be a Jedi! I want to become the greatest Jedi ever and come back and free my mom and all the other slaves!" His voice broke as he spoke of his mother.

Obi-Wan knew how he felt but wasn't sure why Anakin suddenly thought that Master Qui-Gon would have lied. "Qui-Gon wouldn't lie about this. Why would he?" Obi-Wan asked, and his breath caught in his throat as Anakin responded, "Because he owns you!"

Obi-Wan felt a slight, momentary stirring of annoyance—this again, people thinking he was the property of his teacher, or of the Jedi, thinking not only lowly of Obi-Wan's agency and abilities but also of the moral character of the Jedi, of his religion, his culture, and his very _family._ The feeling was only a brief flash of irritation and then Obi-Wan promptly let go of the imagined slight because that's just what it was: an _imagined_ slight.

The boy meant no harm, had no way of knowing any better, and it was not intended to be delivered in any demeaning way. Even if insult had been meant, letting himself _become_ offended did no good to anyone. So, with all the training of the Jedi Order and of his master he possessed, Obi-Wan released that irritant into the Force and focused on what he _could_ do—comfort a fellow Freed.

" Qui-Gon couldn't own me even if he wanted to. I'm too wild for his tastes," Obi-Wan whispered conspiratorially, winking at Anakin, "I was freed a long time ago by my mother and a Jedi named Plo Koon. My mother was a slave as well, and he gave his life to sneak me onto the Jedi's ship. Then, Plo Koon took me to the Jedi Temple and I've lived there since then. I'm free, Anakin, and now you are, too. Do you understand?"

Anakin frowned, some of the _terrorpanicbetrayal_ fading away into suspicion-wariness-hope- _pleasepleaseletthisbereal_. "But… you're a Hybrid. Hybrids are _always_ slaves," he protested.

Obi-Wan smiled gently and reached out his hands, palms up, hoping the youngling would take them. His smile grew when the boy, hesitant but ultimately trusting, laid his own hands on top of Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan held those small, sturdy, calloused hands in his own and replied, "No, Anakin. In fact, most places in the galaxy do not have slaves at all. Slavery is illegal in the Galactic Republic, and it's only on planets too far away for the Republic's influence to reach that it continues unfettered."

Obi-Wan dropped one of Anakin's hands to lightly press one of his own hands onto Anakin's cheek. "You are _free_ , Anakin Skywalker, and if it's what you want then you will be a Jedi. I promise." After all, if no one else would train the boy, Obi-Wan should be a knight by then, and what better teacher for a former slave than someone who knew his struggles intimately. The Force surrounded the pair, and Obi-Wan felt Its satisfaction and contentment at his vow. Anakin Skywalker _would_ be a Jedi—that, Obi-Wan knew.

When Anakin Skywalker first meet Obi-Wan Kenobi, he found a brother.

When Obi-Wan Kenobi first meet Anakin Skywalker, he found his purpose.

**Author's Note:**

> This was finished sooner than I expected, but I don't really have an update schedule for this so I'm posting it even thought it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.
> 
> I had planned to make this second part a bit more Hybrid-heavy in terms of plot, but it ended up taking a different direction. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


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